Chapter 91 - 43-52

Chapter 43 ~ Mystic Moon City (2)

Liu Xing went back to the items list page and saw many underlined words, indicating they were links.

"This is like Wikipedia!" he exclaimed.

Liu Xing was exaggerating a bit. After all, the info in this interface was too limited. It was disrespectful to compare it to Wikipedia. But the main thing was that the interface was full of links with more information. This would greatly reduce the time and effort needed to find the treasures!

"I've changed my mind," he said to himself.

His previous strategy was to start from the farthest place he could reach, thinking the competition would be less fierce there. But since he now knew the whereabouts of the treasure, down to who was holding it, there was no reason to skip this town.

Grinning, Liu Xing thought he had a real chance to win this race.

"This interface is so convenient. Maybe the person who created it is an app developer from Earth, or at least thinks like one."

He wasn't sure, and ultimately, whether there were other people from Earth or not didn't change anything.

"All right, let's go."

He activated Lightning Cloak and started moving north. The Qian clan's residence was there.

As he moved, Liu Xing wondered if this interface was some kind of test. After all, the elder must have known about this convenient tool.

As he moved over the rooftops like a ninja, the lone moon in the sky shone brightly, as if it were an eye following Liu Xing's every move.

About thirty minutes later, Liu Xing was crouching in the bushes. Through the leaves, he could see a small town. This town was located between three hills. The northern hill was the largest, and on top of it stood a giant castle with golden walls, curved roofs, and a beautiful white pagoda on one side. Many buildings with an ancient Chinese feel surrounded it, making the hill full of man-made structures. The eastern and western hills also had many buildings on top of them, but comparing these two hills to the one in the north was like comparing two normal houses to a mansion.

He suspected that the clan occupying these three hills was the Qian clan, and the town below was the mortal area fully controlled by the clan.

"All right, let's start," Liu Xing muttered.

He summoned his gun and pointed it at the largest hill. He felt danger from this clan. After all, he intended to sneak inside and steal one of their treasures. Purple Moon Sect thought that the Flute of Serenity belonged to them, but that sentiment was also shared by the Qian clan.

Not long after, Liu Xing became fully invisible, and he started to move toward the main hill. If he wanted to search for this guy named Qian Biaou, he needed to start from the most likely place he would live, which was the castle.

Liu Xing had actually tried to check information about Qian Biaou in the interface, like his appearance or his status in the Qian clan. But the interface didn't give him a link to Qian Biaou's page. This meant either there was no information about Qian Biaou or there was a step he still hadn't completed to access more information. Probably the former, since Qian Biaou came from this small clan near Mystic Moon City.

He moved swiftly using the Lightning Cloak technique but didn't try to move at maximum speed. After all, he was in enemy territory, and it was smart to be careful.

Soon after, he arrived at the outskirts of the castle. He jumped from roof to roof, trying to climb the castle from the outside. Before long, he stood on the white pagoda beside the castle. From this place, he could see the entire area of the hill.

"All right, where to start."

Liu Xing remembered that the Flute of Serenity could increase cultivation speed, and while he didn't know how it increased cultivation speed, since it was a flute, there was a chance it could only be activated by playing it.

Sitting cross-legged on top of the pagoda, Liu Xing closed his eyes and cycled his qi around his ears, trying to enhance his hearing so he could hear everything around him.

After several minutes of sitting but not hearing anything, Liu Xing almost gave up, thinking to search manually. But just to be sure, he listened for a bit longer.

Half an hour passed, then an hour. After listening this long, his patience was finally rewarded.

In the distance, he could hear the faint sound of a flute, almost as soft as a whisper. Liu Xing stood up and started moving toward that sound. Each step he took made the sound a little clearer. The song this flute was playing was a sorrowful one, as if someone was trying to convey their sadness through the music.

Liu Xing now stood atop a wall. In front of him was a small training field with a big stone in the center. On top of this big stone sat a plump woman with several lines on her face. She played a song with her plump fingers, closing her eyes as she played the sorrowful tune. She wore black clothes, and in her hair, she wore a beautiful gold butterfly hairpin.

Seeing her, Liu Xing blinked several times. That woman was a cultivator, and if his senses were right, she was on the cusp of Lock Opening seventh stage. Only half a step from breakthrough. Yet, her face looked like that of a middle-aged woman, with several lines below her eyes. This meant either she was an old woman without much talent for cultivation, or she cultivated using a method that made her age faster. Probably the former, since he believed if she used a cultivation method that sacrificed life force and youth, she would be at a higher cultivation realm than merely Lock Opening.

Liu Xing wondered if she was Qian Biaou. Qian Biaou was a male name, but there was still a chance that Qian Biaou was her.

As he observed the woman who looked like a plump mother, Liu Xing studied the flute she played.

The flute was made from black bamboo, and at its tip, there was a ring of purple color. He suspected that this was the flute he needed to retrieve, so he tried to feel the qi around her, checking the effect of the flute.

He could sense the qi around her being sucked toward her at a steady rate. The effect was not bad, comparable to when someone ate a Qi Siphoning Pill of upper grade quality, which meant this flute could speed up cultivation to two times the normal rate. This flute was definitely the Flute of Serenity.

As Liu Xing stood on the wall, he wondered how to take the flute from her. He could just take it. With his speed and invisibility, he doubted she could react in time, but doing that felt wrong, especially since she played such a sorrowful song, and her posture and finger movements conveyed deep sorrow.

Liu Xing rubbed his chin, trying to decide what he needed to do. The options were only two: snatch the flute away, or turn around and leave. When the choice was simplified, the correct action was obvious. He wanted to be an inner disciple to get access to better resources, better connections, and more freedom. As an outer disciple, he needed to complete missions if he didn't want his points to be deducted. Even now, his sect points were in the negative. While an inner disciple needed to complete more dangerous missions, he heard they were more free to roam the world, sometimes even taking months or years on an expedition.

Deciding he would steal that flute, Liu Xing nodded. He needed to accept that stealing resources was sometimes necessary to pursue power. He wouldn't say robbing people was honorable, nor would he steal from others willy-nilly, but he was willing to steal on special occasions like this.

Still, Liu Xing would wait until that woman finished her song. He could wait a little bit.

He sat cross-legged and enjoyed the sorrowful song. It was beautiful yet haunting, as if that woman was trying to pour her sorrow into the song so her heart could be free from that sad emotion. But after several minutes, the song took a weird turn. The beat transitioned to short and choppy tones, she blew the flute forcefully, and Liu Xing could feel anger in every note. After that, it transitioned to a sorrowful song again, and not long after, it turned into an angry song again.

Hearing this, Liu Xing felt uncomfortable. This wasn't a single song, but two songs meshed into one, with no harmony between them, as if trying to combine water and oil. Still, this song was full of emotion. He could feel this woman was angry yet sad about someone.

"Qian Biaou! For such a cunning son, why are you so foolish! Just because you could scam some random man who had connections to Purple Moon Sect, you dared to take a bigger risk. And now look at yourself. You're dead! The only thing left of you is just your arms. And even those arms are now buried and being eaten by worms!"

Chapter 44 ~ Mystic Moon City (3)

She stopped her song, stood on top of the stone, and started to scream. Her scream was deafening and ugly, like a pig being slaughtered. Then she jumped up, faced the stone, and struck it again and again, as if it were the one that had killed her son.

Seeing this, Liu Xing realized that she had finished playing the flute.

Standing up, Liu Xing activated Lightning Cloak while invisible.

The Flute of Serenity lay in the grass a few meters from the grieving woman, unnoticed. Once the woman's grief subsided, she'd likely search for this last memento of her son. But by then, it would be long gone.

Pushing his feet against the wall, Liu Xing jumped as quietly as possible.

He glided through the air and landed beside the flute. Bending over, he picked up the flute from the ground and hid it in his robe along with the Statue Summoning Technique.

He observed the sad and angry mother for several more moments. In his past life, his mother had been absent from his life. The only thing he knew about her was her portrait. This Qian Biaou was already dead, but Liu Xing felt that he had been fortunate to have a mother who mourned him.

Jumping from the clearing, Liu Xing moved rapidly away from the Qian Clan.

The night was still young, and to drown the loneliness he felt in his heart, he decided to pursue the second treasure near Mystic Moon City: the interesting weapon called Thunderstrike Gauntlets.

***

Liu Xing summoned the interface and opened the information page about Thunderstrike Gauntlets.

Name: Thunderstrike Gauntlets

Location: This item is in the possession of a gang of bandits who frequently raid villages near Mystic Moon City.

Description: Thunderstrike Gauntlets were created by a master blacksmith called Chen Quan. Chen Quan was killed by a cultivator who was offended by his refusal to create a weapon for him. It's confirmed that the one who killed Chen Quan was a cultivator from the Ethereal Wing Sect, which is affiliated with the Verdant Mountains Sect.

Additional information: This item is suspected to be held by a cultivator named Duan Hai, nicknamed Thunder Wolf, leader of the Shadow Wolf Gang.

Liu Xing checked the info about the Shadow Wolf Gang.

Name: Shadow Wolf Gang

Location: Has a base in a cave east of Mystic Moon City.

Description: A cruel gang that enjoys raiding villages and robbing people, whether they're cultivators or ordinary folks. Has ties with the Xiao clan.

Seeing the info, Liu Xing pressed his lips. He tried to get excited about these Thunderstrike Gauntlets. This item could probably enhance lightning techniques or unleash lightning techniques. If it's the former, then Liu Xing could use it. True, he needed to give this item to the sect, but on the journey to gather more treasures, he could use it for a while.

Still, his mind was more focused on the fact that this item was held by a gang of cruel robbers and raiders. He could sneak in and snatch the treasure easily, but since they were robbers, Liu Xing could also make the world a bit better by getting rid of them.

"Let's observe them first."

Liu Xing sighed. He wasn't above killing people. He had killed other people before and felt no remorse about it. As he had said to Ji Dongyang, he would dirty his hands if necessary. He just didn't want to make a habit of it.

Not long after, Liu Xing arrived east of Mystic Moon City. There were several mountains here, each rocky and jutting high into the sky. Still invisible, Liu Xing tried to feel the qi around him. The qi wasn't too dense, but good enough for cultivation. He tried to sense the qi that would be emitted by a cultivator but felt none. Either there were no cultivators around here, or the base of the Shadow Wolf Gang was hidden by a talisman.

As he moved along the dirt path, the world blurry, he followed the qi around him. Cultivators, even robbers, would prefer to stay in dense qi areas, so following the thickest qi would guarantee him finding the Shadow Wolf Gang. And indeed, his conjecture proved true.

After several moments, he saw an orange light in the distance, and soon, he found a clearing full of tents and people. Scanning his surroundings, he could see dozens of orange tents, at least thirty. In the center of the clearing, a huge bonfire blazed, and circling it was a group of dozens of people singing while drunk, laughing and trading dirty jokes. Some of them had faces and noses so red it looked like someone had painted them.

Scanning them, Liu Xing realized that the majority were cultivators in the third stage of the Lock Opening realm or lower.

Most of these people wore dirty clothes that looked like they hadn't been washed for several days, but still looked decent enough. Actually, some of them were wearing lavish yet dirty robes, like that guy who sang so loudly and wore a green ornate robe that would be used by a wealthy merchant or even a governor, or the guy who ate a skewer of meat so big that it covered his face, his face dirty with oily meat, yet he wore a white robe that looked like it would be worn by a scholar.

Had they successfully robbed a merchant's clothes and were now wearing what they would sell?

Liu Xing observed more. Their orange tents were also decent. There was mud and blood here and there, but there were no holes in the tents or even patches to close holes. Which meant the tents were new, and this Shadow Wolf Gang was quite successful. Liu Xing remembered that this gang was backed by the Xiao clan and understood why almost all members of this gang were cultivators. The Xiao Clan must be quite a wealthy clan if they could back this gang.

Liu Xing scanned the people around him. The Thunderstrike Gauntlets were in the hands of Duan Hai, the supposed leader of this gang of robbers. As their leader, Duan Hai must be the strongest, but Liu Xing couldn't sense any strong people among the partying cultivators.

Liu Xing soon noticed a cave not far from the clearing. There were two big torches lit up beside the mouth of the cave. Liu Xing suspected that this cave was where Duan Hai was.

Walking slowly, Liu Xing circled the clearing. While he was confident none of them could see or sense him, he was still a solid person. If a drunk man accidentally collided with him, it would spell trouble.

As he circled the clearing slowly, a man walked into the area. He looked like a man in his forties, with a bushy beard and long hair tied into a ponytail. He wore a black cloak, but even under that cloak, Liu Xing could see that this man was big like a bodybuilder. If Liu Xing stood in front of him, he would look like a scrawny teenager in front of a big muscled gym maniac.

The partying people regarded him with respect, but they still smiled and invited this big man to drink. The man smiled thinly but refused, saying that he couldn't.

"Yan Tianfei and Wu Datao would be angry if I made them wait."

"Ah, those two are always so strict. You and Duan Hai are the most fun to hang around with from the Four Fingers!"

"It's true. Especially our leader. He knows how to party!"

"A party without him is like soup without meat!"

The man nodded and excused himself. Liu Xing stood still and tried to hold his breath as this man passed in front of him. While he had smiled at the partying robbers, he now had a serious face like a man marching to war.

He entered the cave, and Liu Xing decided to follow him. This man wasn't Duan Hai, which made him slightly disappointed, but Liu Xing now knew that this man was an important person. One of the so-called Four Fingers. If Liu Xing was correct, these Four Fingers were the leaders of the Shadow Wolf Gang, and he was one of them.

Chapter 45 ~ Mystic Moon City (4)

The inside of the cave was more ornate than Liu Xing had imagined. The cave floor was lined with wood polished until it could reflect the light from the torches. The cave walls had some paintings and statues as decoration. Most of the paintings depicted war scenes, while the statues were of women, either in dancing poses or graceful stances.

Soon, the man and Liu Xing arrived at the end of the cave. In front of them was a red double door with gold lion heads as handles. The man pushed the double doors and went through, with Liu Xing following.

As the man closed the door, Liu Xing stepped to the side and observed the room. It was bigger than he expected, with four pillars engraved to depict either a wolf, shark, eagle, or snake. Seeing these pillars, Liu Xing realized they were symbols of the Four Fingers.

In the center of the room was a round table with four chairs around it. Two of them were occupied.

The first man Liu Xing noticed had brown hair and brown eyes. He was handsome, with thin lips that made him look friendly. Around his neck was a necklace of many small fangs, like those of shark teeth. The other man had black hair and black eyes. He wore a green robe that reflected light so much he looked like a green lamp. His face was hard to look at, with sunken cheeks and a gaunt appearance, as if he were malnourished.

The big man sat on one of the chairs and crossed his arms. For a moment, the room was filled with silence. Liu Xing could sense the displeasure emanating from the big man.

"So, what's the urgent matter that made you summon me? Do you know how much I sacrificed to finally have a meeting with Xiao Yulong? If we could strike a deal with him, our gang could grow into a formidable force that can't be messed with."

"Calm yourself, Guan Yunhai," said the man in the green robe. "It's true that you had a meeting that could elevate our gang, but this matter is also very important."

"Wu Datao is right," said the man with the brown eyes. "This matter is important."

"Well, if it's important, then where's Duan Hai? He's officially our leader."

"That's the crux of this meeting," Wu Datao—the man in the green robe—said. "Duan Hai won't be coming to our future meetings, or leading our group, or partying stupidly."

"What do you mean?" Guan Yunhai asked. His eyes narrowed. "Did he betray us?"

"No." The man with the fangs necklace said. "He was loyal. You know him. No, it's worse. He didn't betray us. He's dead."

As he said that, that man put a brown bag with a golden rope on top of the desk. He loosened the golden rope and took out two black and bloody gauntlets from inside the bag.

Seeing this, Liu Xing's eyebrows rose. That bag wasn't big enough to contain the gauntlets, which meant it was a spatial bag. Spatial bags were valuable items. In the outer court of Purple Moon Sect, only people who came from prominent backgrounds had them.

Shifting his focus to the black and bloody gauntlets, Liu Xing realized that these gauntlets were the reason he came here. They were dirty with blood and mud. There were scratches here and there, but overall, they were in good condition.

Seeing those gauntlets, Guan Yunhai widened his eyes. "Are you serious, Yan Tianfei? Duan Hai died? How? Why? Who killed him?"

Wu Datao grimaced, while Yan Tianfei just sighed.

"We don't know much. Duan Hai loved roaming, stumbling through villages, and bedding maidens. A week ago, he did just that," Yan Tianfeng said.

"You were in charge at that time?" Guan Yunhai asked.

"Yes. Wu Datao was in seclusion."

The man in the green robe nodded.

"Anyway, Duan Hai said he'd be back in five days, and we know that he was the most honest robber in the world. If he said he'd come back in five days, he would. But he didn't, so I tried to find him. About five hours ago, I found these gauntlets near a river."

"Only the gauntlets?" Guan Yunhai asked.

"I know what you're thinking," Wu Datao said. "Finding his gauntlets doesn't mean he's dead. I thought the same thing when I saw the Thunderstrike Gauntlets."

"And like Wu Datao, you'll be convinced he's dead after seeing this."

Yan Tianfei turned the gauntlets around. Before, the gauntlets were pointing at Guan Yunhai, but now, they were pointing at Yan Tianfeng, and Guan Yunhai, as well as Liu Xing who stood behind him, could see that the inside of those gauntlets was not empty.

Seeing this, even Liu Xing widened his eyes. Those two gauntlets were still being used. There were still hands inside them. Cut off as if someone had tried to steal the gauntlets by simply cutting off Duan Hai's hands. Seeing this, Liu Xing narrowed his eyes. Those Thunderstrike Gauntlets were the second treasure he decided to get, and coincidentally, both of the owners of the items had died with only their hands remaining.

"No, no! It must be a lie! You're joking!" shouted Guan Yunhai.

"I wish I were lying," said Yan Tianfei.

Wu Datao nodded solemnly.

From here, the three of them tried to console each other. They talked about their adventures and how they met Duan Hai. From this conversation, Liu Xing learned that Duan Hai was a bastard son of a Xiao clan elder, although from the gist of their conversation, he didn't have a good relationship with his father.

Yan Tianfei shared his 300-year-old liquor, and they talked about how they met Duan Hai, how each of their lives turned around since they met him, until the four of them reached the seventh stage of Lock Opening realm.

"If he were among us, I believe he'd be the first to advance to the Core Splitting realm," Guan Yunhai said sorrowfully.

Wu Datao snorted. "He was more talented than us, but advancing to the Core Splitting realm isn't only about talent, but about insight into oneself. I bet I'd advance sooner than him."

Yan Tianfei smiled. "Well, it's between both of you, for sure. Guan Yunhai and I aren't as talented as you two."

Guan Yunhai suddenly started to cry, and Yan Tianfei rubbed his back. The three of them reminisced about their past lives, and Liu Xing, standing behind them, locked his eyes on the bloody gauntlets with Duan Hai's hands still inside them. Liu Xing wondered how he should proceed from here. He wanted to snatch those gauntlets away, but unlike with that woman in the Qian clan, there were three cultivators inside this not-so-wide room. If he snatched carelessly, he'd be in unnecessary danger.

Observing the three of them, Liu Xing believed that if they fought, he would win. While the three of them were at the seventh stage, they weren't stronger than the spirit beast he had successfully killed in the Dragon Skull Forest, and like in that forest, once he successfully killed someone, the other two would soon follow. Still, he couldn't be careless. After all, while he was confident he could win, there was always a chance that they had a hidden ace that could turn the situation.

The smart thing to do here was just to wait. The three of them started drinking, and seeing their red noses, Liu Xing knew that the alcohol they consumed was the kind that worked on cultivators. He just needed to wait a bit more for them to become more intoxicated.

As he observed the three of them, Liu Xing realized that Yan Tianfei was the most sober of the three.

Guan Yunhai gave back the gourd of that 300-year-old liquor to Yan Tianfei. Yan Tianfei shook the gourd, listening to gauge how much liquor remained. He then smiled at Guan Yunhai and Wu Datao.

"Brothers, I know we still feel sorrow for Duan Hai's departure, but I think we need to discuss our gang."

"No," Guan Yunhai said. He glanced at the Thunderstrike Gauntlets. "I understand why you kept those gauntlets intact to convince me that Duan Hai is really dead, and while I don't want to believe it, I know that he's truly dead. Now, I think we'd better bury his hands and engrave a tombstone with his name. We can discuss the matter of the gang later."

"He's right," Wu Datao said. "The matter of our gang, especially about the leader position, can be postponed."

"I don't think so." Yan Tianfei shook his head. "I thought it'd be better to decide now so we can bury Duan Hai's remains peacefully, knowing the matter of the gang is already settled."

"I see your point, but no," Guan Yunhai said.

Wu Datao also shook his head.

Yan Tianfei sighed. "All right then, I can accept it. After all, none of it actually matters."

Yan Tianfei smiled. While before his smile had looked genuine and friendly, now it was ugly, like a snake's. Seeing this, Liu Xing felt that something was about to happen. And indeed, something did happen.

Chapter 46 ~ Mystic Moon City (5)

Guan Yunhai suddenly clutched his throat, his eyes wide, gasping like a fish out of water. His mouth opened and closed rapidly.

"Y-Yan Tianfei," he choked out.

Then, foam started to form in Guan Yunhai's mouth. A choking sound came from his body, and then, as if relieved from pain, he closed his eyes and crashed into a table, dead.

Wu Datao also had foam on his mouth. His eyes were so wide they looked like saucers, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. But before he could say anything, he too closed his eyes and crashed into the table, dead.

Seeing this, Liu Xing inhaled deeply. A moment ago, the three of them had been consoling each other like family, but now, Guan Yunhai and Wu Datao were dead, while Yan Tianfei smiled like an evil manipulator who had successfully outsmarted his opponents.

"Ah, finally. To think the time would come so soon. With this, the Shadow Wolf Gang is mine alone!" He glanced at the gauntlets. "Duan Hai, you're full of surprises. To think you'd die just like that. Heaven truly favors me!"

Yan Tianfei grabbed the gauntlets and pulled the hand out of them. He then put the two black gauntlets on his hands. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then arcs of electricity shrouded the gauntlets.

"Hahaha! This wonderful treasure is now mine! No one can stand against me."

While Yan Tianfei was drunk with power, Liu Xing saw Wu Datao's hand twitch.

Seeing this, Liu Xing pursed his lips. He looked at Yan Tianfei and realized that he was celebrating too early.

Yan Tianfei turned around and stepped closer to the wall. He put his hand on it and sent qi through his hands. The wall glowed for a moment, and then like a door, it slid to the side, revealing piles of gold, jugs of alcohol, spirit stones, an array of weapons, and much more.

"This is--"

"Mine!" Wu Datao said as he stabbed Yan Tianfei with a short sword. The sword pierced through Yan Tianfei's back and jutted out from his chest. Seeing the position, Liu Xing knew that Yan Tianfei's heart was now destroyed.

Every cultivator had high vitality, but for a cultivator in the Lock Opening realm, a destroyed heart or head was still the end.

Yan Tianfei's eyes widened. He turned his head and saw Wu Datao's ugly smile.

"Seems like you forgot who the real snake among us was."

As he said that, he pulled out the sword and kicked Yan Tianfei. Yan Tianfei fell into the pile of gold, his eyes wide, as if he couldn't believe he was dying at the hands of his friend who was supposed to be dead.

Liu Xing shook his head. He couldn't say that betrayal only happened in the cultivator world. After all, even on Earth, Liu Xing knew betrayal was common, but this reminded him once again that this world was harsh. Might made right, and in the end it was the last one standing that was the true victor.

Wu Datao scavenged the gauntlets from Yan Tianfei's hands and put them on himself. He flexed his hands, and a chuckle came from his mouth.

"With this, I will advance!"

Liu Xing summoned his gun and aimed at Wu Datao's head. To Ji Dongyang, he had said that he wasn't above killing. He could kill people if necessary, but Liu Xing didn't want to make killing people a habit.

In this situation, Liu Xing asked himself: Since his goal was to get those gauntlets, could he get that treasure without killing Wu Datao? The answer was yes. Liu Xing could paralyze him with an electric bullet, knock him out, and pry the gauntlets from his hands. But seeing Guan Yunhai and Yan Tianfei's still-warm bodies, he licked his lips and wondered if letting Wu Datao live was the right choice.

Liu Xing thought for a moment. He had met many robbers before and killed many of them, but the recent robbers he met were Pu He and his gang, whom he let live, and who probably turned their lives around. What was the difference between Mo Yan's group and this Shadow Wolf Gang? Why let them live but not Wu Datao?

After a moment, Liu Xing decided not to overcomplicate the situation. He stepped closer to Wu Datao. The tip of the gun was mere centimeters away from Wu Datao's head.

A moment later, Wu Datao turned around, coincidentally making Liu Xing's gun point right at the center of his forehead.

"Haha! Xiao sect, wait for me. With my clever plan, I can annihilate all of you!"

As he laughed, Liu Xing pulled the trigger. A soft click sounded, and Wu Datao's eyes darted left and right as if looking at what made that click sound, but his death was already decided. Before he could do anything, a hole formed in his forehead, and he simply collapsed to the ground. A small pool of blood formed around his head.

As Liu Xing saw the green strips of his gun glow faintly, he checked his surroundings.

Before, this had been the base of a successful gang of robbers. But now, with all the leaders of this gang dead, Liu Xing was pretty sure the Shadow Wolf Gang was no more.

Crouching, Liu Xing started to loot the Thunderstrike Gauntlets from Wu Datao's hands. He also took the spatial bags from Yan Tianfei and a few hundred spirit stones before fleeing the scene.

As he ran, Liu Xing felt his hands were a bit dirtier than before, but oddly, he didn't feel too much guilt or too much remorse in his heart for killing Wu Datao.

Shaking his head, Liu Xing put the matter of the Shadow Wolf Gang out of his mind. He couldn't change the past, so he focused on the future.

Since he had already gotten two treasures near Mystic Moon City, he only needed to gather eight more treasures so he could move to the next city.

Tilting his head, Liu Xing realized the night was still young, and he decided to get more treasures tonight.

Liu Xing was pretty sure that tomorrow there would be many Purple Moon Sect disciples arriving in this city, so the only night without competition was tonight.

"Alright, next is the Red Lotus Staff."

As he opened the interface and checked the exact location of the Red Lotus Staff, Liu Xing wondered if he would find that the people who had that staff were already dead. Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, and Liu Xing needed to check whether there was a third time where people died with their hands remaining. If it happened again, then Liu Xing would know that something was wrong around this Mystic Moon City.

Whatever it was, Liu Xing would know soon enough.

Name: Red Lotus Staff

Location: Near a small lake, southern Mystic Moon City

Description: A staff that can encourage growth of herbs around it. This staff was made by an elder of Purple Moon Sect and loaned to a loose cultivator.

Additional Information: In the hands of a talentless loose cultivator by the name of Bai Lin

Liu Xing walked while checking the information again. In front of him was a serene little lake with a surface that reflected the moon. In front of that lake was a pretty little hut, with a roof made from green vines that sprouted yellow and white flowers. The white flowers seemed fresh, as if the moon gave them sustenance. The walls were made from bamboo, and in front of the hut was a small herb garden, with a red staff stuck in the ground like a lighthouse.

Soon, Liu Xing moved through the garden, passing the carelessly placed Red Lotus Staff. He could snatch the staff and just go, but Liu Xing wanted to check on Bai Lin. Hopefully, he was still alive.

Liu Xing knocked on the bamboo door. His knock was light, yet the whole door and wall rattled because of it. From the interface, Liu Xing knew Bai Lin was a loose cultivator, and loose cultivators were usually hungry for resources, but this Bai Lin lived peacefully near a beautiful lake and did gardening, as if he didn't want to involve himself with cultivation.

Not long after, the door opened, and he faced a white-haired old man with a bent back. When seeing Liu Xing, the old man bowed.

"Bai Lin greets the honored master from Purple Moon Sect."

"Greetings," Liu Xing said while clasping his hands. "I've come to pick up the Red Lotus Staff that was loaned to you."

Chapter 47 ~ Mystic Moon City (6)

Bai Lin invited Liu Xing inside. As expected, the inside was small and cramped, with shelves full of jars containing dried leaves, powders that were probably herbs, and many other things. Liu Xing sat in a chair while the old man prepared tea. After it was ready, they both sat around the table to enjoy it.

As Liu Xing drank the tea, its bitter and fresh flavor washed over his tongue, giving him energy and making him more alert.

"How is it?" Bai Lin asked.

"It's good tea."

Hearing Liu Xing's answer, Bai Lin smiled.

"That tea was my grandson's favorite. For me, it's too bitter. I'm glad that other people find it good too."

Liu Xing glanced at a small altar in the corner of the room. There was a picture of a young, handsome guy frowning, as if he didn't want to be painted. This altar looked new, and Liu Xing wondered if his hunch was correct.

"Was your grandson killed?"

"How did you know? Yes, my grandson was killed about two weeks ago. He wasn't a cultivator but wanted to be one. Sadly, talent isn't something you can ask for. Two weeks ago, I asked him to deliver herbs to Mystic Moon City. He never came back."

Liu Xing watched Bai Lin's eyes. They showed deep sorrow. But unlike the woman from the Qian clan, Bai Lin seemed to have made peace with his grandson's death.

"Were his arms left behind?"

Bai Lin pressed his lips together. "Yes. I found his right arm near the river. Do you perhaps know what killed my grandson?"

"No, I don't, but your grandson's death isn't the only one. Other people have been killed too, and the killer seems to be leaving behind the arms of their victims."

Bai Lin clenched his fist. "Are you trying to investigate this matter?"

Liu Xing was silent for a moment. He was curious about this case. It seemed fishy, and Liu Xing felt certain that either a demonic cultivator or a strange spirit beast was behind it. But Liu Xing was in the middle of a race.

"I'm not. I have another matter to attend to."

"I really hope you would investigate the case and eliminate the root of the problem. This Mystic Moon City is under your sect's protection."

It seemed this old man hadn't truly accepted his grandson's death. He wanted justice, and as Liu Xing had come knocking at his door, he tried to ask for help.

"You need to report your grandson's murder to the city. While this city is under our protection, this matter falls under the city's responsibility."

"That's the problem," Bai Lin said, whispering. "I already reported it, but the city won't do anything about this case."

Liu Xing raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Do you know the power structure of this city?"

Liu Xing shook his head. While he had heard of Mystic Moon City, he didn't know much about it. It was just another city under Purple Moon Sect, nothing more and nothing less.

"This city is led by a mayor, chosen by agreement of the city's three clans: Qian clan, Xiao Clan, and Wei clan. There are many smaller clans besides these, but generally, they serve under one of these three."

Liu Xing nodded. "What's the connection between this power structure and these murders happening around the city?"

"The current mayor is from the Wei clan. A man named Wei Yi. He's a young mayor, only sixty years old, yet he's already in the Core Splitting realm fourth core. He's a very talented youngster, but recently I heard his growth has been tremendous."

Liu Xing understood what Bai Lin was trying to say. He suspected Wei Yi had killed his grandson.

This was a heavy accusation, implying that his grandson's death was tied to Wei Yi's tremendous growth, meaning he was accusing Wei Yi of being a demonic cultivator.

"Wasn't your grandson a mortal?"

"Indeed he was, but not a mere mortal. He had... a certain bloodline that made him special. You said you've heard of other deaths similar to my grandson's. May I know who you're referring to?"

Liu Xing licked his lips. He thought for a moment and decided to hear what Bai Lin was trying to say.

"Do you know Duan Hai from Shadow Wolf Gang and Qian Biaou from the Qian clan?"

Bai Lin's eyes widened. "I knew it! To answer your question, yes, I know them. Duan Hai is infamous for raiding in broad daylight. He's a menace, and Qian Biaou is also infamous for his greedy ways. But what's less known about them is that they both have bloodlines. Duan Hai has a Night Wolf Bloodline, while Qian Biaou has a Brown Bear Bloodline. I always keep track of bloodline carriers in this city, since my grandson also had one. His was called Serpent Sun Bloodline."

Liu Xing rubbed his chin. Bloodlines were unique physiques. There were many bloodlines in this world. Some were weak, some strong. Some gave unique techniques, some gave certain talents. The most famous bloodline in this world was held by Burning World Sect, one of the five great sects. They had a unique sign in the form of a golden horn on their forehead, and while the full extent of their bloodline was shrouded in mystery, their most certain ability was absolute control of fire. He had heard from an outer disciple unlucky enough to encounter them that fighting them was like fighting a volcano.

"While their deaths might be connected because they have bloodlines, I still don't see how it's connected to Wei Yi," Liu Xing said.

Bai Lin nodded. "I heard a rumor about Wei Yi a few years ago. He got an inheritance from the ruins of an ancient sect. While I don't know for certain what he got, I'm pretty sure it was a technique from a demonic sect."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Mainly because I know what technique he got from the ancient sect. The technique is called Blood Wing Sacrifice: Bloodline Variant."

When Liu Xing heard that technique name, his eyes widened. That technique name was similar to Ji Dongyang's sect. Could this technique actually be from Blood Wing Sect?

"You seem surprised," Bai Lin said. "Do you know this technique?"

"No, it's just that recently I fought a cultivator who claimed he annihilated the Blood Wing sect. Do you know where these ancient ruins are located? Are they in the north?"

"They are indeed in the north. In the empire called Blue Wind Empire."

Liu Xing's heart started beating faster.

"Seems like I've piqued your interest," Bai Lin said.

Indeed he had. Everything remotely connected to Ji Dongyang interested Liu Xing. Mainly because Ji Dongyang used what he called a 'shadow'. There was a possibility that this shadow was the darkness that Nui mentioned. This was the only lead he knew.

"Are you interested in investigating this technique? If you are, then I can give you a reward if you can solve my grandson's murder."

Bai Lin's old face suddenly gained more energy. His eyes burned and he clenched his fist. From this face, Liu Xing understood how deep his love for his grandson was.

"If you can settle this matter, then I can give you a Heaven Grade Technique."

Liu Xing's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

A Heaven Grade technique wasn't a trivial matter. Even Liu Xing, an outer disciple from one of the five great sects, never had a chance to get his hands on a Heaven Grade Technique. And this Bai Lin, only at the second stage of Lock Opening realm and living alone, claimed he had one. It was absurd. But Liu Xing couldn't disregard his claim. Sometimes, a river had something an ocean didn't. And if that something was a Heaven Grade Technique, then Liu Xing was very interested in Bai Lin's matter.

"I can't use it at full power, since I'm merely a weak cultivator. But I'm sure you would find this technique useful. It's a technique that allows me to observe some people even from a distance."

Liu Xing rubbed his chin. Even if the technique wasn't for combat, Liu Xing still wanted a Heaven Grade Technique. He wanted to accept Bai Lin's request to solve his grandson's death on the spot, but logic made him think a bit more.

Chapter 48 ~ Mystic Moon City (7)

This matter is probably huge since it involves the city's mayor. Not to mention, Wei Yi is a cultivator who already has at least four cores. This means he's halfway to becoming a Sun Refining cultivator. If Liu Xing confronts Wei Yi, he'll actually be in danger. While Liu Xing is strong and can easily defeat a seventh-stage Lock Opening cultivator, it's a different story if his opponent is in the Core Splitting realm.

Moreover, Liu Xing is in the middle of a race to gather as many treasures as possible. If he takes time to investigate the case, other disciples will overtake him. This race is important since the reward guarantees becoming an inner disciple. Yet, this matter also has a huge reward. It's not every day he has the opportunity to get a Heaven Grade Technique. Even as an inner disciple, it would take time to gather enough points to get one.

Liu Xing breathed deeply, feeling torn. He wanted to get his hands on the Heaven Grade Technique while also winning the race. He couldn't choose just one.

He forced himself to think carefully, and after nearly fifteen minutes, Liu Xing realized this matter wasn't worth it, at least for now. True, if he succeeded, he'd get a Heaven Grade Technique, but since his opponent was a higher-realm cultivator, the chance of success was really slim. Moreover, this matter would take time. If it took several days or even a week, he'd be sure to lose the race.

Liu Xing finally shook his head. "I'm sorry, old man, but I can't confront Wei Yi right now. I'm too weak and in a hurry."

Bai Lin could only sigh.

"But," Liu Xing added, "if you want to wait, I can come back later."

Liu Xing couldn't settle the matter right now, but he'd have plenty of time afterward to investigate Bai Lin's grandson's death and gather enough evidence about Wei Yi. Bai Lin was sure Wei Yi was behind the deaths of several people with bloodlines, but Liu Xing needed to confirm it first before making a move.

"Really?" Bai Lin's eyes brimmed with excitement.

"Yes, I can come back later."

"Then it's decided! I'll give you the Heaven Grade Technique after you deal with Wei Yi. How long do I need to wait? A year?"

"Not that long. I believe the race will be over in two weeks max. But to be safe, I'll promise to come back in about a month."

Bai Lin's eyes widened. He then looked at Liu Xing more closely. "Not to be rude, but how strong are you? How old are you?"

"I'm at Lock Opening sixth realm, and I'll be twenty soon."

Bai Lin nodded and mumbled, "Either he can bridge the power gap with powerful treasures, or he has strong backing."

Liu Xing didn't comment on his mumble. He didn't have strong backing, but Bai Lin was correct—he did have a powerful treasure. One that could bridge the power gap between him and Wei Yi if given enough time and adversaries.

"Alright, then I'll wait. What's a month? I could wait ten years if there's a certainty that Wei Yi would be dealt with."

"You know, there's still a possibility that Wei Yi isn't the one who killed your grandson."

Bai Lin nodded. "You're right, but the info you gave me about Duan Hai and Qian Biaou gave me the last clue about who the culprit is. Trust me, this Heaven Grade Technique is great for gathering information."

"If you say so. But I'll do my own investigation later."

"By all means, do that. I'm confident I'm correct, but if there's a slim chance I'm wrong, then I too want to know the truth."

Liu Xing nodded. Then, Bai Lin offered Liu Xing more tea, which he declined. He asked about the Red Lotus Staff and asked Bai Lin to return it to the Purple Moon Sect. Bai Lin said Liu Xing could have the Red Lotus Staff. While the staff was great for growing herbs, Bai Lin said his garden wasn't very important to him since his grandson's death.

Liu Xing asked to use a corner of Bai Lin's garden. Bai Lin gave him permission, so Liu Xing exited Bai Lin's little hut, walking between herb and vegetable gardens, past the Red Lotus Staff he intended to take later, and sat in the corner of the garden where a little orange tree grew.

Under this tree, Liu Xing closed his eyes and tried to absorb the energy from his bullets. These bullets were infused with qi from Wu Dataou, a seventh-stage Lock Opening realm cultivator. Once again, Liu Xing thought he needed a way to cultivate while moving. He was in a rush, but he needed to absorb the energy from the bullets first.

As he absorbed the energy, he thought about how he would approach the matter of Wei Yi. Liu Xing obviously couldn't kill him with his lower cultivation. While the gap between stages was large, it could still be surmounted. But the gap between realms was, as people said, like heaven and earth. Liu Xing had an overpowered gun, but even when he could one-shot Wu Dataou, his gun couldn't cross the gap between realms. His full-power attack couldn't scratch a Core Splitting cultivator, and since it was impossible to become a Core Splitting cultivator in a month, the only way to deal with Wei Yi was by bringing a stronger ally. Liu Xing's chance to do this was also slim. He was an outer sect disciple who didn't have connections.

So, this mission was actually kind of impossible to do. But if he thought it was impossible, he would have outright refused Bai Lin. He accepted because he had a strategy, and this strategy involved using treasures or artifacts he found in this race.

The plan was simple. Deck himself from head to toe with treasures, then attack Wei Yi. This strategy at first glance was idiotic. As Elder Zhang Zhenking said, each and every treasure on the list wasn't really hard to get. Seeing the Flute of Serenity, Thunderstrike Gauntlets, and Red Lotus Staff, Liu Xing knew the reason was that while precious, these treasures weren't too amazing. Decking himself with not-too-amazing treasures wouldn't bridge the gap between a Lock Opening cultivator and a Core Splitting cultivator.

Unless he had items that enhanced other items.

This is where the gun would come in.

Now, Liu Xing had never experimented with enhancing items with his gun, so he needed to experiment a little. He also wanted to check the Statue Summoning Technique.

"Later," he mused while absorbing the qi from the bullets into his consciousness. He would experiment and check the technique after he successfully absorbed the qi from the bullets.

Liu Xing absorbed the energy a bit faster than usual. The qi trickled into his consciousness and entered the last red padlock. After the qi in this lock was full and it could be opened, the last thing he needed to do was cut the silver chain around his ball of lightning. That was the way to advance into the Core Splitting realm.

After absorbing the qi for a while, Liu Xing finally finished. In his consciousness, the lock wasn't completely empty of qi, but Liu Xing felt somewhat disappointed with how little qi there was. At the fifth stage, he only needed ten spirit beasts to fully open the sixth lock, but at the sixth stage, with the amount of qi from Wu Dataou, his last remaining lock was only about seven percent full. This meant he needed more than ten spirit beasts to advance, maybe even twenty.

The jump wasn't tremendous, and Liu Xing expected it. The more he advanced, the more qi he needed to advance.

Now that he had emptied his bullets, Liu Xing stood up, needing to do an experiment for a little bit. This experiment was a deciding factor in whether he had a chance to defeat Wei Yi or not. Liu Xing was optimistic the gun could do it, but there was a little anxiety in his heart.

Liu Xing took the gauntlets out from the spatial bag. These Thunderstrike Gauntlets were pitch black, and there were still bloodstains on them.

After wearing the Thunderstrike Gauntlets, Liu Xing flexed his fingers. He made hand signs and moved them around to check how restrictive they were. As expected, his fingers moved easily, and aside from a little clanking noise, there were no noticeable drawbacks. The gauntlets fit perfectly, and Liu Xing suspected one of their enhancements was to adapt their size.

"Alright, let's try it normally first."

He needed to understand the normal attack before he could try to enhance the effect with his gun.

Liu Xing actually didn't know what kind of attack these Thunderstrike Gauntlets would create. But since there was "thunder" in the name, and they were gauntlets, Liu Xing assumed this treasure would shoot lightning either from the knuckles or palm.

Liu Xing walked several dozen steps toward the lake. When the lake was right in front of him, with little ripples visible on the water surface-probably from the night wind blowing gently across it- Liu Xing stopped walking. 

He adjusted his stance. Before he got his gun, Liu Xing was a close combatant, and since his primary attack was the Lightning Palm Technique, he used martial arts that focused on palm strikes.

In his peripheral vision, he could see Bai Lin's hut, and peeking from its window was Bai Lin with curious eyes. Liu Xing tried to ignore Bai Lin and inhaled deeply.

"Let's start the experiment."

Chapter 49 ~ Mystic Moon City (8)

Liu Xing channeled his qi into his hands. The gauntlets greedily absorbed his qi. Liu Xing allowed this for several moments, and electricity began to form around the gauntlets, creating several arcs of lightning that danced around his hands, like tiny lightning threads. The longer he let the gauntlets absorb his qi, the more threads appeared. Soon, all the lightning threads gathered in front of his palms, creating two balls of lightning, one in each hand.

Liu Xing continued to let the gauntlets absorb qi. The lightning balls grew larger. When they reached the size of chicken eggs, Liu Xing realized that if he didn't stop, the gauntlets would absorb his qi endlessly.

He cut off the qi flow to his hands, and the lightning balls and threads around his gauntlets stabilized.

Liu Xing lowered his stance, pulled back his right hand, and with all his might, unleashed a powerful palm strike. As he struck, the lightning ball exploded, flashing brightly. Several bolts shot from his palm strike, accompanied by a deafening boom that seemed to shake the earth. The lightning raced across the lake's surface, branching out like the roots of a tree, illuminating the entire area.

Seeing this attack, Liu Xing whistled. "What a powerful move."

He unleashed another lightning strike from his left hand. Like before, a lightning attack shot from his hand, branching like real lightning that would burn anyone in its path.

Seeing this attack, Liu Xing realized that this attack was incredibly powerful. No wonder the Shadow Wolf Gang was successful, and no wonder Yan Tianfei and Wu Dataou dared to kill their friends for it.

"Though, I suspect my attack is stronger than theirs, since I cultivate using the Lightning Scripture," Liu Xing mused.

He checked his qi reserves. The gauntlets used a large amount of qi. He guessed he could unleash about five or six attacks before his qi was completely spent. This wasn't too bad. The attack from these Thunderstrike Gauntlets was worth it. Still, compared to his gun, it was somewhat wasteful of qi.

"Now, let's try to enhance the attack using my gun."

Summoning his gun in his left hand, Liu Xing took a deep breath.

Liu Xing sent qi to his right hand. Instantly, threads of lightning started creating a ball in his palm. When the lightning ball was only the size of a marble, Liu Xing stopped his qi. He then willed his gun to absorb the lightning ball, expecting it to be converted into a bullet.

But after several moments, nothing happened. Trying harder, Liu Xing ordered the gun to absorb the ball of qi, but once again, nothing happened.

Seeing his first experiment fail, Liu Xing released the lightning strike and pinched his chin thoughtfully.

"Looks like the gun can't absorb that ball of lightning."

It was unexpected. Apparently, techniques created by treasures couldn't be converted to bullets. But while unexpected, Liu Xing didn't feel discouraged. After all, he could try other methods.

Liu Xing sent his qi again, but instead of the gauntlets, he directed it into his gun, creating six bullets inside. Now, Liu Xing had never reabsorbed normal bullets into his qi before, but since he could absorb bullets infused with beast cores, he figured he could reabsorb normal bullets too.

Indeed, when he willed it, he felt the six bullets meld into one, become liquid, and then travel from his gun to his left hand to his chest. Then Liu Xing willed this obedient energy to his right hand and into the gauntlet in his right hand.

When the energy settled into the gauntlet, Liu Xing expected to see dozens of electric threads around it, but that's not what happened. Instead, a white ball of lightning the size of an apple suddenly materialized in front of his palm, as if someone had teleported it there. There was no fanfare, no cool lightning threads forming the ball. It just appeared.

Seeing this, Liu Xing grinned. While the process was different, the end result was the same.

"Now let's see how strong this lightning attack is."

Liu Xing inhaled and thrust his palm forward. Suddenly, a blinding white light enveloped the world. An explosion, like thousands of lightning strikes hitting a single target at the same time, erupted. White lightning bolt that branched so fast it looked like a thousand white lightning strikes materialized in front of Liu Xing, as if he had suddenly touched a giant blue wall that materialized out of nowhere. His palm thrust was aimed low, so these thousands of lightning strikes hit the surface of the lake.

When it touched the lake, the water lurched violently, as if a giant hammer had struck it, creating huge waves and sending water splashing into the sky and creating light rain.

As Liu Xing watched this attack, his eyes widened and his ears rang. The scale of the attack was suddenly enormous. He suspected it could envelop that giant turtle he'd killed in the Dragon Skull Forest in a single strike.

Taking a deep breath as the light rain soaked him, Liu Xing couldn't help but laugh. That attack was strong. Really strong. But it could still be improved. It was a great area-of-effect attack, but he felt he could concentrate it more, making it even stronger. Or, he could spread the attack wider, making each lightning strike weaker but able to hit far more targets at the same time.

Full of energy and curiosity, Liu Xing sent qi to his gun, reabsorbed the qi from the bullets, and created another ball of white lightning in front of his palm.

Then, he thrust his palm again.

***

"Insane. This is insane!" Bai Lin commented as he peeked from his hut, spying on that youngster from Purple Moon Sect.

The young man stood on the lake's shore, cackling gleefully like a child while unleashing horrifying attacks that made the world tremble. Each of his attacks lit up the world as if the sun had suddenly descended in the middle of the night. He attacked the lake relentlessly as if it had cursed his mother and his nine generations.

Bai Lin understood what was happening. This youngster was experimenting with his technique. Sometimes the attack was narrower, about the size of his hut, striking the lake at one point until the water parted. Other times, the attack was so wide it covered the whole lake.

When that youngster had arrived, Bai Lin hadn't realized how formidable he was. While Bai Lin's cultivation was low, his Heaven Grade Technique gave him knowledge of many things, including attacks from cultivators at the peak of Lock Opening Realm, even Core Splitting cultivators.

This attack could be compared to one from a Core Splitting cultivator.

As the world trembled and his hut rattled, trying its best to stay standing, Bai Lin couldn't help but smile. This youngster was incredibly strong, and with his background, the chances of him successfully dealing with Wei Yi were high.

"Looks like my decision was right," Bai Lin thought.

Wei Yi was strong and formidable. The lightning attack from this youngster was strong but could barely damage Wei Yi. Still, Bai Lin expected Liu Xing could gather several exceptional people to gang up on Wei Yi, or even use talismans to attack him. After all, talented disciples like Liu Xing were usually backed by strong allies.

As he thought this, Bai Lin saw Liu Xing change his stance.

Before, he had used his right hand to attack, while his left hand was in a weird position, as if holding something invisible. Now, he combined his hands, making his hands resemble a blooming flower. A ball of lightning formed between his hands, and he started to chant.

"Ka, me, ha, me."

The energy ball began to grow. Before, it was the size of a chicken egg, then it was the size of an apple, and now it was getting even bigger. Liu Xing's hands now held a large ball of white lightning, about the size of a ball. He adjusted his stance and aimed his hands to the sky.

Seeing this, Bai Lin knew what Liu Xing was doing. This attack was three times the normal size, and he needed both hands to hold it. Sensing the qi emitted from the ball, Bai Lin's feet and body trembled like a newborn deer. This lightning ball felt so powerful, as if the sky had been compressed into this ball, waiting to be unleashed.

Bai Lin's brain told him to dive under the table to protect himself. The aftermath of that attack would be so strong he suspected his hut would be blown away. But Bai Lin's heart insisted he shouldn't hide. While his cultivation was low, his talent meager, and he lived without pursuing power, he was still a cultivator. He wanted to compare himself with other cultivators. Even knowing he was outclassed by Liu Xing, he wanted to see how strong this attack was.

"I want to see!" he shouted.

As he yelled, Liu Xing also shouted, "Ha!"

Chapter 50 ~ Shield (1)

He thrust both hands toward the sky. Instantly, a blinding light spread outward. Liu Xing's black hair whipped back as the ground around his feet sank and cracked, spreading outward as if trying to hold his weight. From the center of his hands, a ball of lightning shot a concentrated bolt toward the sky, creating a white pillar that pierced the heavens. An explosion occurred, creating a shockwave that spread around. The lake in front of Liu Xing lurched, creating a massive wave that ran to the other side. This shockwave also hit Bai Lin's hut. His roof blew away, some of his walls flew off, and even Bai Lin himself almost got blown away if he hadn't held onto the wall in front of him.

Bai Lin's heart beat so fast it felt like it would explode any second, and adrenaline coursed through his body, making the world seem a bit slower. His eyes focused on the pillar of light that extended high into the sky. Tonight the sky was clear, but if there had been clouds above, they would have parted, creating a hole in the sky.

Then, his eyes returned to Liu Xing, who smiled while laughing madly.

Seeing this, Bai Lin realized he had misjudged Liu Xing. This youngster wasn't an ordinary disciple from one of the five great sects. He was a monster. A terrifying monster! And he had asked for help so casually, as if asking a relative.

Bai Lin started to shiver. If he had known Liu Xing had this immense power, he would have been more polite. Luckily, Liu Xing wasn't offended. If he had been, Bai Lin's life would be over.

After several moments, that mighty attack receded. The blowing wind and waves on top of the lake started to slow down.

Liu Xing sighed deeply, as if he had just finished eating the most delicious meal in the world. He started looking around, and when his eyes met Bai Lin's, Bai Lin's heart stopped beating. What would happen to him now? Was Liu Xing offended because Bai Lin had been peeking?

But before he got an answer, Liu Xing clasped his hands and bowed.

Without thinking, Bai Lin stood straight and started to bow himself. He didn't know what was happening. His body just moved on its own.

When Bai Lin raised his head, Liu Xing was already gone, vanished as if he were a ghost. His eyes snapped toward the Red Lotus Staff, realizing that the staff that had let him live comfortably for dozens of years was now gone.

Bai Lin sighed in relief. It seemed like Liu Xing had left.

For a moment, Bai Lin thought he didn't want to meet Liu Xing again. He was too strong. Too terrifying. But then, he remembered that Liu Xing had agreed to help investigate Wei Yi and would come back in a month at the earliest.

That Wei Yi was strong. The strongest person Bai Lin had ever seen. And while he couldn't be sure whether Liu Xing's last attack could finish Wei Yi, at the very least he knew that Liu Xing was as talented as, or even more talented than, Wei Yi.

Turning around, he realized that most of his belongings had blown away, but the altar in the middle of the room with his grandson's painting was still intact.

***

Running away like a thief who'd been caught, Liu Xing moved as fast as possible. To his right and left was a vast grassland, perfect for galloping horses. The path Liu Xing followed cut through the grassland, separating the two sides.

"Man, I blew away that old man Bai Lin's house!" Liu Xing exclaimed.

Liu Xing had gotten carried away. These Thunderstrike Gauntlets gave him the chance to try a famous technique from one of his favorite shows. With the qi from the gun, he could easily shape that attack, whether he wanted a focused strike or one that targeted multiple enemies.

The last strike was an experiment to test how many bullets he could feed into the gauntlets. He thought the strike could be scaled infinitely, but it seemed the limit was eighteen bullets. More than that, and Liu Xing felt the gauntlets would break.

Still, when he unleashed the last attack, he didn't think the effect would be that great. That pillar of light was so tall and created a shockwave that rattled everything around him. Even Bai Lin's hut was blown away. When he saw that little hut now roofless and the walls on its left and right had flown off somewhere, and seeing Bai Lin with his huge eyes and trembling body, Liu Xing was afraid that Bai Lin was trying to contain his anger, so he ran away shamelessly.

True, Bai Lin was weak. But that guy had easily offered Liu Xing a Heaven Grade technique. Who knew how many Heaven Grade Techniques he had, and perhaps he was actually a strong cultivator trying to hide his power.

The point was, after Liu Xing blew away Bai Lin's hut, it was time to go.

Looking up, Liu Xing saw the moon was still out. It was probably still the middle of the night.

"Now, what to do?"

Liu Xing held his token and opened the interface. The list of treasures hadn't changed much. There were seven treasures still nearby, but when Liu Xing checked, all of them were either treasures to help cultivation, herbs and pills, or miscellaneous tools, like that Gold Dragon Cauldron.

In his quest to defeat Wei Yi and get a Heaven Grade Technique, he decided to get as many treasures as he could that would help him defeat Wei Yi, and the Gold Dragon Cauldron and other nearby treasures certainly wouldn't help.

Since he confirmed that his gun could enhance the effect of the treasures, albeit in a roundabout way, he decided to deck himself out with treasures that either increased his attack power or defensive capability.

Since the treasures nearby didn't meet his requirements, he decided not to retrieve the items and was now left with two choices.

First, he could rest. While he still had a lot of energy, rest was a fine choice. Rest would make his body fresh and his mind sharper. Or second, he could run to his next destination.

After thinking for a moment, while rest was tempting, Liu Xing decided he wouldn't waste more time. While his main focus was still to win this race and become an inner disciple, he also wanted to get that Heaven Grade Technique. These two desires of his were now combined, making this race slightly more difficult, since he needed to get as many treasures as he could, but only treasures that could help him defeat Wei Yi.

Nodding, Liu Xing opened up his interface and found the nearest item that met his requirements was in a city called Second Gray Cloud City. Liu Xing remembered that this city was north of Mystic Moon City. Adjusting his direction, Liu Xing cycled the qi inside his body so he could run faster.

While he wanted to arrive as fast as possible, Liu Xing decided not to run at full power. The reason was that he wanted to read the Statue Summoning Technique. He still didn't know what grade this technique was, but he was sure this technique would strengthen him, so there was no reason to delay reading it.

As he ran, Liu Xing grabbed the book from his spatial bag As he held it, Liu Xing realized that the book was thin, as if it only had twenty or fewer pages, and the cover was rough to the touch, as if created from a weird mixture of paper, almost feeling like cardboard, with fine hairs that he could feel with his fingers.

While he ran, Liu Xing opened the book and read the introductory chapter. As he read the chapter, Liu Xing's eyebrows rose.

Instead of a summary of what the technique was, the first chapter was actually a short paragraph:

"The joy of love is the joy of life. People cannot live without love, and yet, not all love is equal. My love for my parents is deep, but not as deep as my love for my creation. My love for my lover is meager, and she suffered because of it, and I want to fix it, but I cannot, since my heart is in the hands of my creation. When I lost all the people who loved me, I thought I would be okay, since I still have my creation. But then I realized that while I wholeheartedly love it, it would not return my love, because it's a creation. A being incapable of love."

Liu Xing read it several times more. He even recited it, trying to decipher the meaning. But what he understood was that the one who wrote this technique was probably an artist. And since the technique name was Statue Summoning Technique, there was a high chance that he was a sculptor. A sculptor who had an all-consuming love for the statues he made, until he neglected his parents and his lover.

Chapter 51 ~ Shield (2)

Liu Xing wanted to think that this sculptor was exaggerating, but he knew that an obsession could sometimes be unhealthy. He had heard the story of Van Gogh, who cut off his ear just to understand pain.

"Hmm, let's just ignore this page."

While that paragraph probably had a deeper meaning, Liu Xing just wanted to learn this free technique. Flipping the page, he can see a weird pattern spread across two pages. It looked like a painting of a single, narrow eye. Above the eye, he saw a sentence.

"To learn this technique, you need to accept this contract."

Seeing this, Liu Xing stopped running and observed the page.

"Contract?"

He had never heard of a technique with a contract before. Techniques usually involved specific cycling patterns, specific intent, and other things that could activate the technique. In fact, he had never heard of contracts in this world, but it wasn't impossible. Liu Xing believed there must be magical contracts that would ensure two people fulfilled their agreement.

Deciding to sit by the side of the road, Liu Xing turned to the third and fourth pages.

On the third page, there was a pretty long cycling pattern, but what caught his eye was on the next page. An illustration of a round gray shield with green gems in the center was drawn so well, it looked as if a real shield had been inserted into the page.

The next two pages showed a cycling pattern and an illustration of a turtle. This turtle's face was smiling, its eyes were green, and several gems dotted its gray body.

The last two pages of the book contained a cycling pattern and illustration of a girl. The girl was looking up, her face frowning as if she saw something unpleasant in the sky. Her robe was ornate, with a wave pattern on it. The illustration was gray, so there was no color in this statue, but if there were color in her robe, Liu Xing imagined her wearing a blue cultivator robe.

There was actually no information about what this technique would do after activation, but since the title was "Statue Summoning Technique," it must summon the statues like in the illustrations: a shield, a turtle, and a girl.

After memorizing the qi cycling pattern, Liu Xing tried the technique, but nothing happened, as if he had made a mistake. Trying several more times to verify he hadn't done the wrong pattern, Liu Xing realized that it felt incomplete. It was hard to describe, but it felt empty.

Returning to the second page, where the eye pattern spread across two pages, Liu Xing realized that this technique would never activate if he didn't accept the contract.

"Should I accept the contract or not?" Liu Xing muttered.

A contract was, after all, binding, and he didn't see what this contract was about. What if he accepted the contract, and it forced him to do something he didn't want, like sacrificing a baby every day?

Pinching his chin, Liu Xing thought for a moment. He needed to be stronger, and if accepting this contract could make him stronger, then he would accept it. There was a risk, but Liu Xing understood that sometimes he needed to embrace risk.

"All right, let's do it."

Liu Xing wondered how to accept the contract. For a moment, he thought about smearing a drop of blood in the center of the eye, but he decided to send qi into the book instead. When his qi touched the book, the book absorbed it greedily, and the eye pattern started shifting. It split into thousands of dots, each dot circling the page for several moments. Then, the dots reformed back into the illustration of an eye that spread across two pages, but there was a difference. The eye illustration was now fully completed, a realistic drawing of an eye. There was an eyebrow above the eye, and Liu Xing found it familiar.

After several moments observing it, Liu Xing realized this was his own eye. As he realized this, Liu Xing felt a mental connection to the book, like his connection to his gun.

"All right, it seems the process is over."

Flipping the page, Liu Xing saw a cycling pattern that supposedly summoned a round shield. He went ahead and did the cycling pattern. He wanted to try summoning this shield first.

Since this technique wasn't lightning-based, there were many unfamiliar cycling patterns, but he had already memorized the cycling pattern to summon the girl, and there were some similarities in these two patterns.

Standing up and cycling his qi according to the pattern, Liu Xing willed the technique to activate when the cycling pattern was complete.

Suddenly, a round shield appeared right in front of him. The shield appeared in the air, and since nothing was holding it, it fell to the ground.

Liu Xing observed the gray shield on the ground. It was rather large, more than half a meter in diameter, with a giant green gem in the center. When Liu Xing touched the shield, he felt a smooth surface, as if he were touching the smoothest rock in the world.

Liu Xing flipped the shield and found the handle. Grabbing it, he lifted the shield, adjusted it, and tried to pose as if he were withstanding an attack.

"Hmm, there should be more to this shield."

He tried to send qi into the shield, but the qi bounced off as if the shield were just a rock. Liu Xing then tried to dismiss the shield and succeed. The process similar to how he dismissed his gun.

Next, Liu Xing opened the next page and memorized the cycling pattern of the turtle statue.

The statue appeared several meters in front of him. It was quite big, about the size of a polar bear. Its smile was friendly, as if it were the nicest being in the world.

Liu Xing tried to summon the statue of the girl, attempting to place her on top of the giant turtle. But to his surprise, when the girl's statue appeared, the turtle vanished.

Seeing this, he dismissed the girl statue and pinched his chin. It seemed he could only summon one statue at a time.

"All right, let's do one more experiment, and then I'll stop and focus on gathering treasures."

Before he got this Statue Summoning Technique, Liu Xing had found several shield techniques that could help him maneuver in the air, and since he now had a shield, perhaps he could use it as a stepping stone.

Liu Xing summoned his gun in his left hand and the shield in front of him. Before the shield fell to the ground, Liu Xing grabbed it. Then, he sent his qi to the gun, creating six bullets, and reabsorbed the qi and sending this pure qi to the shield.

Before, the qi had bounced off as if the shield rejected it, but with this pure qi, the shield absorbed it greedily. Soon, the green gem in the center of the shield shone brightly, and Liu Xing felt a mental connection to the shield, as if it had a mind of its own.

Liu Xing slowly released the shield from his hand, and to his surprise, it floated in the air, vibrating like a child happy to see its father.

Liu Xing grinned, his heart beating faster, excitement surging through him. He willed the shield to move, and like an obedient puppy, it floated away like a bubble carried by the wind.

Liu Xing jumped and landed on top of the floating shield. The shield buckled for a moment but then stabilized, still floating in the air.

Realizing what he had accomplished, Liu Xing started to chuckle.

"I'm flying!"

There were several methods of flying, and one of them was riding a sword. Some people used a shield, and it seemed that he, too, would use a shield.

He willed the shield to move, and it did indeed move. But it moved slowly, and Liu Xing felt like he was riding not a flying shield, but an elevator. Liu Xing willed the shield to speed up, and it started to vibrate as if to say it was already flying at top speed.

Realizing this shield couldn't fly fast, and instead with a speed like a crawling turtle, Liu Xing sighed.

Still, he wasn't too disappointed. After all, what he wanted was a technique like Air Steps, and while different, this shield could probably be used to maneuver in the sky.

"But how do I do it?"

Chapter 52 ~ Second Gray Cloud City (1)

When Liu Xing thought about a shield technique to create a step in the air, he imagined materializing the shield right beneath his feet so he could jump higher. The idea sent a shiver of excitement down his spine.

Leaping from the shield, he landed on the ground with a soft thud, dismissing the shield as he touched down. Now, if he could summon this shield again in any position he liked, he could turn it into a flying step.

Summoning the shield once more, Liu Xing willed it to materialize in front of him, facing upward. Indeed, the shield appeared right before his chest in the correct position without fanfare, as if it had been invisible and suddenly turned visible. It hovered silently, its green gem glowing softly, which relieved Liu Xing. He didn't need to send qi from his bullets every time he summoned the shield.

He dismissed the shield again and tried to summon it behind him. After several attempts, he finally succeeded. Turning around, he found the shield floating lazily like a bubble right in front of his face.

Liu Xing dismissed and summoned the shield several more times. He willed it to appear in front of him again, behind him, at his side, and even above his head.

Liu Xing also tried to gauge how far away he could summon the shield, imagining that he could materialize it wherever his sight pointed. But after several attempts, he realized he could only materialize the shield within about a half meter around him, which wasn't bad at all.

"Now, for the final experiment," he muttered.

Excitement filling his chest, Liu Xing cycled his qi around his feet, kicked the ground as hard as possible, and launched himself into the air. His hair and robe fluttered in the cool night breeze, the ground growing farther away with each passing second. As gravity tried to pull him down, Liu Xing cycled his qi to summon the shield. He willed it to appear right beneath his feet.

For a moment, he fell, and then he stopped. Looking down, he saw that the shield with its glowing green gem had become a floating platform holding him aloft.

He chuckled, feeling elation bubble up in his heart. It seemed he could really use the shield to replace Air Steps.

Liu Xing jumped higher into the sky, materialized the shield, and jumped from it again. He repeated this several times, turning the night sky into his playground. At first, he needed to concentrate on where the shield should materialize, but after a while, Liu Xing felt he could trust the shield to appear exactly where he wanted it.

Liu Xing started to maneuver more elaborately. He bounced around in the sky, sometimes flying vertically, sometimes horizontally, and even diagonally. The stars twinkled above him, seeming to dance in rhythm with his movements.

Smiling, Liu Xing decided to up his game. He summoned his gun, activated Lightning Cloak, and bounced around so fast he looked like a bolt of lightning ricocheting across the night sky.

He started to laugh, feeling the adrenaline course through his body. With this technique, he felt stronger. After all, now Liu Xing could move freely, whether on the ground or in the sky. Moreover, this was a shield. While it could be used as a step, its true purpose was for defense.

Liu Xing ceased his fancy maneuvers and began jumping from shield to shield horizontally, as if he were crossing a wide river by leaping from stone to stone.

He started moving north, thinking it was time to go to Second Gray Cloud City. He moved from the plain grassland and entered a forested area. But just then, the shield materialized beneath his feet, and when he stepped on it, there was no resistance. Glancing at the shield, he realized the green gem wasn't shining, and it fell like a normal shield would.

Since the shield couldn't be used as a stepping stone, gravity exerted its authority and pulled Liu Xing downward with the shield. Although he was high in the sky, he wasn't too high for the fall to hurt him. Instead, he focused on the falling shield.

Grabbing the shield, Liu Xing thought it might need to be recharged occasionally. From the start of his experiment until now, about half an hour had passed. So, he assumed the shield could float for half an hour at a time.

Liu Xing reloaded the gun and used the bullets to recharge the shield. The green gem now shone brightly again, and it stopped falling. Liu Xing grabbed the floating shield, then pulled himself up until he stood on it.

"All right, looks like the experiment time is over," he said, his voice barely audible over the whistling wind.

Next was to get many more treasures, defeat Wei Yi, and then become an inner disciple.

***

Mystic Moon City was one of the cities that didn't belong to a country. It was a self-governing city, almost like a tiny nation.

Once, this city was under a nation called White Bone Nation. This nation was a vassal of Purple Moon Sect, and while not the greatest, it was a fine nation. The people were blessed with fertile land, and the rulers had access to many cultivation scriptures and techniques. But in the past, the king of that nation decided to be greedy and sold himself to a demonic cultivator, daring to betray Purple Moon Sect. Needless to say, Purple Moon Sect was enraged, and the result was the disbanding of White Bone Nation and the scattering of cities without owners.

Some of them formed nations, some were gobbled up by neighboring countries, and some became independent cities like Mystic Moon City. This Second Gray Cloud City was one of the many cities which, after the ruin of White Bone Nation, was attacked and annexed by an empire called the Twelve Sun Empire.

Liu Xing stood atop his shield high in the sky. Looking down, he could see the entire expanse of Second Gray Cloud City. In the center of the city, a giant river split the city into two parts. He couldn't see the details, but it was said that many rivers branched from that great river.

Liu Xing willed his shield to descend. It lowered slowly, as if he were riding an elevator, and this time, Liu Xing preferred a slow descent rather than falling like a rock. He suspected he was floating as high as an airplane on Earth, and even if he was a sixth stage Lock Opening realm cultivator, he would be injured if he fell from this height. He hadn't actually planned to go this high, he'd just gotten carried away, trying to swim inside a white cloud.

As he descended, Liu Xing thought about the three treasures he needed to get from this city. He had already memorized the information about these three treasures, and he knew the landmark that could lead him to these three treasures. He just needed to find that landmark.

Looking down, he predicted he would land in the center of the city, and he tried to recall which treasure was nearest to this landmark.

After descending for half an hour, Liu Xing finally could see individual buildings below. From this height, Liu Xing felt he would be able to land safely, so he decided to dismiss the shield and free fall. He saw many people bustling around on the streets, mingling with horses and donkeys pulling carriages. There were also many tents and buildings that looked semi-permanent, as well as roads that branched here and there, creating a maze. Liu Xing realized he would land in a market.

He considered resummoning his shield and using it as a springboard to land in a less crowded area, but ultimately decided against it. While he would land in the middle of a market, the exact place he would touch down was actually a less crowded street with a nice, well-painted building on the side.

As he fell, Liu Xing saw many people tilting their heads and pointing at him. He ignored them, focusing on the ground that grew closer every second. When he landed, a small cloud of dust formed around him, concealing him for a moment.

Liu Xing lightly slapped his robe to remove the dust and looked around. This street, while not crowded, still had many people. Liu Xing realized that each building lining the street was a store. To his right, there was a store with a glass display, showing a mannequin wearing a beautiful red dress with white trimming. Peeking from that store's door were several wide-eyed girls, as if they couldn't believe what they had just seen.